PYRO 2022
May 15–20th, 2022
Delegates from academia, research institutes and industry are going to present their latest results and define the needs for future developments. This is done in sessions with oral and poster presentations, with ample opportunities for discussion.
The program includes topics varying from fundamental studies and advanced analytical techniques, up to pyrolysis applications in a commercial setting. The conference is not limited merely to applied biomass pyrolysis for renewable energy; it will also be dedicated for a significant part to the thermal decomposition of materials like coal, plastics, polymers, and composites. Products of pyrolysis can be used for (renewable) fuels and advanced materials; valuable green chemicals can be extracted or synthesized from them and, if properly characterized, they can lead to identification of the parent material.
It is the first time that Belgium is hosting the PYRO conference. Previous conferences were held in France (3), Germany (3), Spain (3), England (2), Austria (2), Hungary (2), Japan (2), The Netherlands (2), Italy (1) and Sweden (1). The latest editions held in Birmingham (2014), Nancy (2016) and Kyoto (2018) were chaired by Tony Bridgewater, Anthony Dufour and Hajime Ohtani respectively; they have been very successful with an increasing number of participants from all over the world. This time, the organizers are again expecting over 300 participants, and they intend to accommodate around 80 oral plus 150 to 200 poster presentations. The conference venue is magnificent: “Het Pand”, situated in the historical center of Ghent, is an ancient monastery (13th century) of the order of the Dominicans, which has been renovated completely. The University of Ghent is using it currently for academic meetings and the organization of symposia and congresses. It houses – apart from a large number of congress rooms – various museum collections, exhibition areas and a restaurant.
Your host institute, the University of Ghent, was founded in 1810. Over the past two centuries it has developed towards a highly-ranked academic society, with 11 faculties occupied by 15,000 staff and 44,000 students. The PYRO2020 conference organizers are working in the Department of Green Chemistry and Technology of the Bioscience faculty, and at the Laboratory of Chemical Technology of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. Together, they have an extensive experience in pyrolysis research and built a significant network of international collaboration. All members of the pyrolysis community are cordially invited to spend one week in the spectacular town of Ghent, to enjoy the presentation of new pyrolysis results in the first place, but also to establish collaborations by meeting new colleagues and seeing old friends again.
The organizers are eagerly looking forward to welcome you all at PYRO2022.
More information
BlackCycle consortium with CERTH propose an abstract at the 23rd edition of the International Conference on Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis (Pyro2022)
“CATALYTIC PYROLYSIS OF END-OF-LIFE TYRES: EFFECT OF CATALYST TYPE ON THE PRODUCTION OF HIGHLY AROMATIC OILS”
– May 19th, 2022 at 11:30am by Stelios Stefanidis, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CPERI), Greece
Catalytic pyrolysis of end-of-life tyres: Effect of catalyst type on the production of highly aromatic oils
Stefanidis S.D, Pachatouridou E., Heracleous E., Lappas A.A.
Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CPERI), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessaloniki, Greece
Abstract
Introduction: A large number of tyres from road vehicles are retired annually, entering the pool of end-of-life tyres (ELTs) that presents a large, untapped potential for material recovery. While ELTs can be repurposed for various applications, today’s treatment processes are not circular and do not result in many raw materials that can be reused in new tyres.
Aim: The aim of this study (part of the EU project BlackCycle) was to develop technology for the recycling of ELTs into raw materials suitable for the production of new tyres. ELTs can be pyrolysed to produce pyrolysis oil and recycled carbon black. Pyrolysis oils with high aromatics content and high C/H molar ratios can be utilised for the production of carbon black, a major tyre component used as filler.
Methods: ELTs were pyrolysed at 500 °C in a fixed bed reactor and the pyrolysis vapours were catalytically upgraded over a bed of catalyst (500 °C) for the production of highly aromatic pyrolysis oils. Metal and non[1]metal-promoted zeolites, as well as a low-cost MgO catalyst prepared from natural magnesite, were screened for their effect on the yield and composition of the pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis oils were thoroughly characterised by elemental analysis, simulated distillation, GC, GC-MS and HPLC to determine their elemental composition and content in aromatics.
Results: Compared to the thermal pyrolysis of ELTs, the use of catalysts for the upgrading of the pyrolysis vapours increased the C/H ratio of the pyrolysis oils from 0.62 to up to 0.77. The content of the aromatics also increased from 40 wt% in the pyrolysis oil’s gasoline fraction to up to 78 wt%. Total aromatics increased as well, and up to 87 wt% total aromatics content was achieved in the pyrolysis oils with Y zeolite-based catalysts (Figure 1). Promotion of the zeolite catalysts with transition metals enhanced the dehydrogenation reactions and shifted the selectivity towards heavier aromatic molecules. The use of catalysts was accompanied by an increase in the gas yields at the expense of pyrolysis oil yields, which were reduced from 53% to as low as 41%, depending on the type of catalyst and the catalyst-to-feed (C/F) ratio.
Conclusion: Zeolite-based catalysts increased the aromatics content and the C/H molar ratio of the ELT pyrolysis oil. The most effective catalysts were the Y zeolite-based catalysts. Promotion of the catalysts with transition metals enhanced dehydrogenation reactions and shifted the selectivity towards heavier aromatic molecules, which are more favourable for carbon black production.